Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-03-22
THE GREAT EVIL.
A Comparative Statement of the Drunk
enness of the Different Countries

showing no abatement of interest and an
enthusiasm that no change or condition
can affect Rev. DR.. Wheeler occupied the
chair, Rev Mr. Ollie read the Scripture
and Rev. Mr.. Christian made the opening
prayer. The choir was out in force, and
led by the great organ, rendered excellent
music. Mr.. Booth took occasion during
the course of the evening to congratulate
the choir on its excellent rendering OF the
music, and not without desert. Under the
able management of ]. W. Clough, it does
excellent work, and the singing is leading
and attractive feature of the meetings. In
introducing the meeting DIR. Wheeler
said: F." had the good fortune to be called
to speak in the opening meeting of this
mission and of Mr.. Booths work, and |
said then that if the people of Sacramento
would give attention to what Mr.. Booth
had to say l ventured to assert that he
would more than Justify all that was
claimed for him, much as that was. l
thought l knew what l was saying, and
am persuaded that his claims have been
more than justified. What else mean all
these vast gatherings and this terse and
strained attention of the multitudes that
gather from night to night, but that the
community has been brought under the
spell that was predicted There is reason
in all this to thank God and take courage.
There is apparent an uplift of sentiment in
this community in all directions. Why
was the attendance on the churches of the
city larger on last Sabbath and the atten-
ton 10 preaching better than for many
days? Because of these meetings. When
found that the speaker came into the
meetings in the spirit of prayer and from
prayer | felt success sure. Running on
this line there can be no failure"
Mr.. Booth then announced the topic for
this evening at the theater as
WHO IS TO BLAME?"
And for Wednesday evening" "Prohibi-
ton y also prayer meeting daily at the
Westminster Presbyterian Church at PM.
After the announcements, Mr.. Booth said:
Since coming upon the platform, have
deemed it wise to change my topic, and
with your permission l will postpone what
| have to say on Moderate Drinking I'LL
another date. | promised to speak of wine
producing countries abroad There is a
general impression abroad in this State,
and likewise in this nation, and in the
world, that a wine-producing community
is very sober community; that where
grapes are grown and wine is made there
is an absence of drunkenness, and of the
vices that follow in its train. Having been
abroad in these countries myself, l have
taken pains to investigate this subject, and
can give you few of the facts. can I'M
derstand how this impression of the sobri-
ETY. of these countries has become current.
People who have visited there have not
seen drunkards they have gone to Italy
and to continental Europe, and have come
home to say that there was
.pcrNcr- ~,
Everywhere they went. One reason is
they did not go to Europe to see drunkards,
to see what were as common as lamp-posts
in their own country, but they went to see
the beauties of her landscape and noun
tains, her ruins, and her wealth of art, and
they were occupied with these Another
reason is that the American tourist is
very highly appreciated fellow abroad in
the countries he visits, and the lines of
these tourists are kept free of all objection
able things. drunkards included. Tourists
stop at the best hotels; of course there are
no drunkards at the best hotels tourists
go to the tops of the mountains to enjoy
the wonders and beauty of nature drunk
ards do not go to the mountain tops, they
don't see any beauty in Gods handiwork
tourists spend days in the Louvre and in
Europe's other great galleries of art hut
there are no drunkards there, they are
blind to art. And where they go they
spend money with prodigal hand, and so
the Government has made the way of these
easy. Why, go to some of the mountains,
and you will find steps carved in the solid
rock to make easy your ascent. Drunk
ards are kept out of their way, and so they
return prating of an absence of drunkards,
and the opinion is current that there are
no drunkards in these countries. When l
went to the continent l had that same
opinion, that there was no drunkenness in
France Italy, Belgium and Germany, that
the inhabitants drank only the vin ordinaire
of the country, and were sober. Yet France
in 1878 passed
A LAW FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF DRUNKEN
NESS.
If there were no drunkenness, why was it
needed? And in the first four months
after the passage of that law, in Paris alone,
there were 5000 arrests for drunkenness,
and in the twenty-four hours after Gam
betta's funeral 5000 were arrested drunk in
that city alone. There is an idea that the
water of Europe is bad and cannot be
drunk, but it is the devils lie. There is
plenty of good water everywhere, plenty of
''When l got to Brussels went out of my
hotel at II P. NJ. and walked two blocks
away from its street, and in the next two
blocks l traversed l counted twelve men
staggering. 1 have often been in Boston,
and have walked up and down fremont
and Washington Streets and have yet to
see my first drunken man in those streets
but walk only a few blocks away and YOU
will find plenty, and so found in Brussels
and other cities. | have spent much tin
In work in the slums of London, and have
seen revolving sights in that fostering sore
OF that great city, but never saw sights
more revolving than those l have seen in
the slums of Brussels and Paris. There are
that the Germans were sober
people, that kept closely to their Rhine
wine and beer, but what are the facts?
Germany consumes five times more spirits
than England; there are only three
countries that consume more than she
does, Russia, Sweden and Denmark, and
Germany is the country, par excellence, Of
light drinks. Some one has said truly that
these
LIGHT DRINKS ARE But THE DEVILS KIN
DLING WOOD;
They light q fire that burns the soul TO Gin
der. AS truly as the child goes on from
milk to meat, so truly do men go on from
wine and beer to whisky. | wish 1 could
20 I'D UOMll AlllS VI lDt grape
and din tkis into the ears of the people,
and they would not turn their grapes into
what robs of reason and murders soul.
"When | found this to be the state of
affairs in these countries, l wrote series
of letters, stating the facts as | found them,
to a London paper, and so contrary were
they to the general impression that the
London Times sent trusted representative
on my track and he not only verified my
observations, but he uncovered conditions
at which even myself was astonished. l
have been ioid that nothing of this kind
that l might say would be reported
by the newspapers of the State. don't
believe that l believe that the RECORD
UNION has backbone enough to, and does,
report truly. GAppleuse.l In Switzerland
| found things at the worst. You can buy
q pint of brandy for 50 cents in Switzer-
land, and her people spend $50 head per
year for strong drink, while in Great Brit
ain they spend but SD.
In Belgium in ten years there has been
an increase from 10000 to 132 600 drinking
places. In that time there has been an in
crease of suicides of so per cent; in con-
victs of I35 per cent; in insane of 104 per
cent; in deaths in hospitals of 81 per cent.
In Germany four-fifths of the convicts of
her prisons are there from drink, and 2,016
are treated yearly in her hospitals for delir-
ium tremens. And yet in California you
are doing everything, Legislature and peo-
pie to advance an interest that is response